BEIJING: India and China are discussing the plan to hold a joint military exercise, National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon confirmed on Tuesday after two days of meetings with Chinese leaders including premier Wen Jiabao. The exact dates for the exercise would be decided later through diplomatic channels, he said.

The two countries held a joint exercise as a confidence building measure in India in 2008 and in China in 2007 but there was no such exercise last year. China is at present holding a widely publicized joint exercise, which is being shown by the official television for the past four days, in the border province of Ningxia.

"We think we now have the basis to move forward and to move this relationship forward," Menon said while discussing his impressions from meetings with Chinese leaders. "So that is really what we discussed. We will see over the next year or so how we can do that in different aspects of the relationship," he said.

The NSA said he expected some high level visits by Chinese leaders to India either this year or at the beginning of next year. Indian foreign minister S M Krishna and President Pratibha Patil have visited China this year.

Menon said there has been significant progress in the boundary talks with the two governments deciding on the political parameters for the dialogue and pledging to maintain peace and tranquillity on the border region.